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Topic : Bipolar Disorder

Patients suffering from Bipolar disorder face many difficult challenges. Share your story and get support from those who understand.

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New here....

This is my first time here, my name is Heather. I'm a 24 yr old mother of a 4yr old boy and 7 month old girl. I've been married 3 yrs but together for 6. I was dx'd ADHD at 15 but none of their meds really helped. Started acting out after I lost my favorite Aunt to cancer a few months after the dx. I think I had my first manic episode when I was 16 or 17, soon after got into drugs pretty bad. I've gotton lucky, nothing bad's ever happend, never been hospitalized. I was dx'd as BP1, ADHD, GAD, and PTSD in March of this year. I'm on a ton of meds, they're still trying to find a combo that works for me. I've been reading, posting, doing everything I can to try and figure myself out for once in my life. I've always been so different then my peers, I don't even really know who EYE am, ya know? SO anyways, thats that. I watch Dr. Phil all the time, he give greats tips for raising kids and making marriages work, so I figured it couldn't hurt to come here. Thanks for listening....

Heather

Welcome to the board. Mostof us aremothers of different ages. I have a 2 yr old and i am bipolar II ultra rapid cycling with anxiety panick attack disorder along with PTSD and borderline personality disorder. I am making myslef a martyr raisingmy daughter so as not to affect her with my illnesses. I work daily and HARD on it. I have just separated after 3 yrs with her father and am sad and very desolate but i know its right for us all.

good luck and stay posting!

Beka

P>S> TAMMY, Ill be doing 40 minutes ellipt today, it really helps alleviate stress pain etc as wella s my big butt, people are all startig to tell me i am looking thinner and it feels good. clothes are looser andmy face is much better. yahoo me later. taking Loreleito the park to give her something to do, and maybe meet a cute man. LOL not really but i am doing it for lorelei. Will get a few groceries maybe since isold the crib and need a few items. the cupboard is shaky at best, LOL

I have recently been diagnosed with Bipolar 1

and I have a handful of other disorders as well. Schizo-affective Disorder, Agoraphobia, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, ADHD ( that I have had since I was a child along with the PT-SD ) Severe Depression, and Severe Anxiety.

Needless to say life is a mess for me right now. Not to mention the fact that I am a rapid cycler. I normally post on the Depression boards, I have alot of friends there that I love to pieces and one in particular that I email, but I thought I would check out your side of the woods for some advice and find out if anyone else was in the same or similar boat as I am.

I was taking 200 mg of Lamictal, 200mg of Topamax, 400mg Vistiral, and 100mg of Seroquel, I was finally starting to feel like I could actually get a hold on this thing until I ended up with a reaction to the Lamictal. Then we had to start all over. Now I am off of the Lamictal and up to 300mg of the Seroquel and they are slowly working it up to 500mg.

No more control, more panic attacks that seem 10 times worse because now I know how it feels to go without one for more than a week at a time. I have to make myself get in the car to go to the Dr's for my appointments again. I am loosing sleep again. I did not get to bed last night until 3am and I only slept till 5:30 when my son woke up ( he is 2 ). I know that some of you might say lay down and try anyway, but I can't because it causes migraines when I try to force sleep. So my shrink told me to take my Seroquel at night ( it makes you really sleepy most of the time ) and just go to bed when I think I can sleep on nights like these.

I get so nervous sometimes I can't sit still, and I can't seem to get anything finished to save my life. Not to mention concentrate on anything! My hubby bought me the new Harry Potter book to try and make me feel better and normally I would not be able to put it down, but I can't even seem to turn the pages to read it. I love to read these books with my nieces and nephews, and I can't. One of my favorite hobbies is painting and I can't even paint right now, all of my paints are up, I am just in this rut and it is slowly filling up with quicksand ready to suck me under.

And I am so angry. I am angry that I can't have a normal life, I am angry that my childhood was a nightmare because of adults who had nothing better to do then abuse a child who could not control her ADHD. Who smiled when they "accidentally" hit her with the wrong end of the belt in the middle of her back. Or the times the split my lip, or threw shoes at her, or switched her until her legs had cuts on them. I need to let this go, but I can't. The fact that they act so smug and they try to take credit for who I am inflames my temper to the boiling point. I am who I am because I survived them, not because they beat me into a good person. I have some of my problems because of what they did to me and that is all they can take credit for, but that they won't touch.

I need your help. I don't want to take Lithium if I don't have to but that is the next step if the Seroquel does not work, and so far it isn't. Do any of you have any type of relaxation techniques

that work for you or even breathing techniques? I am doing my psycho therapy with my therapist, I am keeping a journal and writing poetry, I am exercising, and I am taking my meds. What else can I do? Am I just stuck here? Cause the only option that worked so far is gone, I can't take it anymore.

If I can't get this circus I call a mind under control, how do I justify raising my son? I mean really?He deserves so much more than what I can give him than cottage cheese for a brain. I love him with every fiber of my being, I never want to see him go through the pain I did growing up. I would die first. What am I going to do if I can't get this under control?

Heather

This is my first time here, my name is Heather. I'm a 24 yr old mother of a 4yr old boy and 7 month old girl. I've been married 3 yrs but together for 6. I was dx'd ADHD at 15 but none of their meds really helped. Started acting out after I lost my favorite Aunt to cancer a few months after the dx. I think I had my first manic episode when I was 16 or 17, soon after got into drugs pretty bad. I've gotton lucky, nothing bad's ever happend, never been hospitalized. I was dx'd as BP1, ADHD, GAD, and PTSD in March of this year. I'm on a ton of meds, they're still trying to find a combo that works for me. I've been reading, posting, doing everything I can to try and figure myself out for once in my life. I've always been so different then my peers, I don't even really know who EYE am, ya know? SO anyways, thats that. I watch Dr. Phil all the time, he give greats tips for raising kids and making marriages work, so I figured it couldn't hurt to come here. Thanks for listening....

Heather

Welcome to the board. We are all struggling right now as it is new, so please be patient with us :)

My daughter is 14 and is dx'd with bp2, ptsd, and gad. SHe also has symptoms of BPD but they will not dx a minor with that. I hope that will change like the bp dx has changed.

She has been on med trials for almost 2 years before we found the right combo and doseage to keep her "stable" Please do not give up.

Do you have a therapist you see? That and meds is what helped my daughter. I am 31 and if ever need to talk or vent please feel free to contact me :)

I also have a 3 year old daughter who is "normal".. I put that in quotes because no one knows what "normal" really is :)

woohoo

Welcome to the board. Mostof us aremothers of different ages. I have a 2 yr old and i am bipolar II ultra rapid cycling with anxiety panick attack disorder along with PTSD and borderline personality disorder. I am making myslef a martyr raisingmy daughter so as not to affect her with my illnesses. I work daily and HARD on it. I have just separated after 3 yrs with her father and am sad and very desolate but i know its right for us all.

good luck and stay posting!

Beka

P>S> TAMMY, Ill be doing 40 minutes ellipt today, it really helps alleviate stress pain etc as wella s my big butt, people are all startig to tell me i am looking thinner and it feels good. clothes are looser andmy face is much better. yahoo me later. taking Loreleito the park to give her something to do, and maybe meet a cute man. LOL not really but i am doing it for lorelei. Will get a few groceries maybe since isold the crib and need a few items. the cupboard is shaky at best, LOL

Love to you all

beka

I am so happy for you.

Did you ever try using tape measure? I lost mine... but I bought a new scale that is suppose to be so great and now I am totally confused the old one is reading 10 pounds MORE than the new one. Ryan said go to the doctors to get weighed but then how will that help me keep track. One of my scales is off. Anyways. I went to the Y this morning and worked out. Now after I taxi EMily to her friends I will do my slim in 6 video. Haven't gotten back on the treadmill. It is hard because I can't keep Logan entertained for 40 minutes. She would rather be outside than watching tv. That is not a bad thing other than the treadmill is in the basement so I can't do that and have her outside. Maybe I can start doing that after Ryan gets home from work.

Bipolar Disorder

ANGEL1002

Hi, first off welcome to the board. Please be patient with us as we are all having a hard time adjusting to the new boards.

I am so sorry for what you have been through in life.

Have you expressed all of these concerns to your therapist?

My daughter was sexually abused and the only therapy that helped her was cognitive behavioral therapy. Does your therapist do that? You may want to ask, if he/she doesn't maybe they could direct you to someone who does. my daughter went through about a dozen therapists until we found this one. I am not saying she doesn't have bad days but she really started healing when this therapist started working with her.

Lithium can be a great medication as long as you have the blood levels monitored.

I personally do not have experience with it, but the website I post on has alot of children that have been given this and from what I remember seem to be doing good but have to have blood levels checked.

You may already have to have that with your meds. Have you ever tried Depakote?

My daughter is on depakote and risperdal.

I know she has trouble sleeping too and we give her the risperdal before bed becuase it makes her sleepy.

I hope you find some answers here, please keep posting. I will be as supportive as I can.